Johnny Mathis is happy to announce to his fans that he is doing well after news broke that his California mansion burned down. Mathis, 80, appeared on local stations where he revealed that he is saddened by the loss of the place he called home for over 56 years.
Johnny Mathis, who is currently on tour, had briefly returned to his Hollywood home – only to discover that it was destroyed. The “All the Time” and “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” singer spoke to several media outlets where he revealed that he is devastated.
The fire, which broke out Monday night, tore down the mansion located in the Hollywood Hills and almost everything inside. The 80-year-old singer told reporters that while he is happy that he and his employees are fine, he is heartbroken to lose the place he called home for 56 years and all the precious things he collected during that time. He said:
“I’m OK, nobody got hurt — that’s always important. We can always replace things.”
Mathis explained:
“Someone said that there was a fire at the house. I was thinking a little fire. It’s the only house I’ve ever had. There’s nothing left.”
Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the city’s fire department, revealed in a statement that a vegetation fire spread to Mathis’ home. Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the fire. Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Dean Zipperman added that few trophies were saved. Zipperman stated:
“Due to the fact the neighbors had said something, we immediately got all his trophies and some of his memorabilia that was irreplaceable.”
The Texan, who has recorded 71 studio albums and sold well over 350 million records worldwide and who is celebrating his six decades in the music industry with a tour, recently explained how to achieve longevity by saying:
The habits that I had growing up — like most kids, they seem to stay with you all your life. From the very beginning, I was an athlete, and almost got to go to the Olympics as a high-jumper. I used to hang out with the great basketball player Bill Russell. He and I were buddies, and we’d travel and run track together in different parts of California.
He also added:
From the beginning, I had a lot of good habits physically. I didn’t mind the workout routines I had to go through. I’ve kept those. I’ve been working out now with a trainer for 13 years. I realize that I’ve got to be sound physically to support the tones. I’ve been lucky. I haven’t had any real vocal problems. I found out very early on what I could do and what I couldn’t do as a daily routine to retain my voice. There were a couple of instances where I got laryngitis, and it was the most horrible feeling in my life. Something that was me was gone, and I was frightened to death. That scared me into a process of taking care of my voice. No matter where I was, I was very conscious of the fact that I was going to have to sing relatively soon, so I’ve been a little bit fanatical about it.
The crooner will be performing in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday.
Thank you @LAFD for your swift response, and everyone for your support! Johnny wasn't home at the time of the fire, and nobody was hurt.
— Johnny Mathis (@MathisJohnny) November 3, 2015
